To many retail outlets, the Christmas shopping season is the difference between making a profit for the year or losing. Every Spring buyers attend shows in big cities like New York and Las Vegas to preview the coming seasons new products. Order too many of the wrong items and you lose money. Order too few of what’s selling this year and customers will go elsewhere.
Before there was such a thing as online shopping there were radio and television ads, newspapers and the Sears Christmas Toy Catalog. (I found a 1962 Sears toybox catalog in a box of magazines I bought at auction. I sold it online for nearly $150. (Collectors like to have the original ad to display with their collections.)
It seems every year something unexpected becomes THE toy to have for kids, whether it be the hula hoop, Slinky, Holiday Barbie, Mattel Buffalo Hunter set, pet rock, or Bigmouth Billy Bass. The only toy I can remember searching the city over for was that phenomenon, the Cabbage Patch doll. My daughter was about 10 that year. I went to a dozen stores before I found one. The only grandchild who gets any toys for Christmas is Miss Olivia. All the rest get what they really want for Christmas … money.
The following link is to what is predicted to be the hottest toys this year. There can’t be much argument that none of the junk will withstand the test of time like the treasures of our youth have. We had things made of steel, cast iron, wood, plastic and tin. Kids today have things that need batteries and are made so cheaply they generally break in a short period of time. Most kids aren’t much for playtoys, since they all have iPhones now.
These Are Going to Be the Hottest Christmas Toys of 2017
We know the holiday season seems so far away, but when it comes to snatching up the hottest toys, you can’t start early enough. Luckily, Hasbro released a list of what they think will be the most popular toys come December.
HERE ARE A FEW OF THE NEW OFFERINGS FROM HASBRO
Hanazuki MoodGleam Wearable
Colors change to reflex the mood of the wearer, just like the bracelet worn by the popular cartoon character, Hanazuki.
DIDN’T WE HAVE MOOD RINGS????
Play-Doh Letters and Language Set: Kids can practice letter recognition and pronunciation using the alphabet stampers and play mats.
WHO DIDN’T HAVE PLAY DOH? DID YOU LEAVE YOURS OUT UNTIL IT HARDENED INTO A ROCK? C’MON,YOU KNOW YOU DID.
[CtH: My sister banned it from her house, because she got so sick of picking crumbs out of the carpet. LOL]
Star Wars” Black Series Poe Dameron Electronic Helmet
Although they have yet to test, the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute love the interactive aspect of this role-playing helmet. Put the device on and the surround sound will immerse you in the life of skilled X-Wing fighter pilot, Poe Dameron.
OK, WHAT KID IS GOING TO LOOK BACK IN 50 YEARS AND RECALL FONDLY HAVING AN ELECTRONIC HELMET?
[CtH: Oh I dunno. My youngest gets pretty misty about Teddy Ruxpin. :)]
Coinhole: The Mini Bouncing Quarter Game
Players compete in this game by bouncing coins off the table, onto the board and into the hole. The first to sink all of their coins wins!
[CtH: My brother and his friends used to play a tabletop football game just like this, using pieces of paper folded into fat triangles. But oh golly gee whiz! They never had the option of blowing $35 to get a customized image printed on a piece of wood with a hole in it. Isn’t that special?!
HAVE YOU NOTICED THESE TOYS ARE LARGELY WARMED-OVER VERSIONS OF CLASSIC TOYS? THEY’RE EVEN REVIVING TICKLE ME ELMO.
GOT 30 BUCKS?? Elmo’s hysterical laugh is back for a new generation of fans. And just in time to appeal to the upwardly mobile parents whose parents managed to score one for them in 1996 when the first release was The Impossibly Popular Toy of the Year.
Marvel Legends Series “Thor” Mjolnir Electronic Hammer
Made for elevated role-playing, this die-cast metal pommel hammer features intricate detailing , SFX and light up lightning effects. For adults only. Who else would spend $100 on something like this?!
I GOT ONE OF THESE ONE YEAR
THESE TOO
MY COUSIN GOT ONE OF THESE. HE BROUGHT IT OVER ON CHRISTMAS DAY. WE PLAYED FOR HOURS AND HOURS
WHAT WAS UNIQUE ABOUT THE TOYS OF OUR GENERATION IS THAT WE HAD FUN AND ACTUALLY LEARNED THINGS OR CREATED WITH OUR OWN HANDS AND THE ONLY LIMITATION WAS OUR IMAGINATION.
CtH: When I think back to my childhood, two toys stand out as being favorites my friends and I played with day after day after day.
